Abstract:
Background: Governance of food and nutrition security is vital in achieving sustainable development goals. Yet, the
role of governance in shaping and preventing malnutrition risk is complex and poorly understood. This paper examined
the governance of food and nutrition security in Eswatini.
Methods: Policy documents, annual reports, and minutes of board meetings from five government ministries
were the documents that were used for this study. The data analysis focused on the strength of nutrition governance,
actors involved in policymaking, nutrition-specific and sensitive-programs, and multisectoral coordination of
programs.
Results: The findings show that Eswatini has medium strength, nutrition governance. The nutrition-specific programs
included: micronutrient supplementation and deworming programs, breastfeeding campaigns, and treatment
of acute malnutrition. The nutrition-sensitive initiatives included programs on school nutrition, sanitation and hygiene,
agriculture production, and healthcare. However, multisectoral coordination was ineffective, as collaborative efforts
are not structured, during implementation.
Conclusion: This study examined the governance of food and nutrition security in Eswatini using documents from
government ministries. Diverse actors were involved in policy formation and implementation. The strength of nutrition
governance was medium and multisectoral coordination was usually ad-hoc. The multiple actors involved in
nutrition governance in Eswatini need to intentionally plan to improve multisectoral coordination to achieve higher
impact.
